The 2015 Mountain Laurel Autoharp Championship took place on Friday evening, June 26, during the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering (MLAG) outside Newport, Pennsylvania. A number of folks in the autoharp community asked about my journey from preparation through the contest and beyond. Desipte contracting

Well, here I am after sweating and waiting for this web site to (mostly) finish (you know how that goes; there will always be little edits here and there, and oh, I do think about a new page I’d like).

Testimonials

Lucille is in a class by herself when it comes to playing and teaching the dulcimer.

Norine Humm, Michigan

I have always believed in giving public credit to musicians whose talent and originality awe and inspire me, and one of the best is LUCILLE REILLY. She’s a master at both hammered dulcimer and autoharp. I love her magnificent technique, feeling for the music, and clever (often humorous) improvisations on well-known music.

Lois Hornbostel, North Carolina

I have absolute, open-mouthed (literally!) astonishment at the way Lucille took the simplest of jigs and turned it into a performance that was almost transcendent.

Tony Hessling, hammered dulcimer player, Indiana

I hear Lucille’s heart in her music.

Ben Buckles, hammered dulcimer player, Kansas

Lucille’s playing of the hammered dulcimer reminds me of a hummingbird whose wings you cannot see, only the flutter.

Sandy Jones, hammered dulcimer player, Michigan

Exuberant and lively…GREAT energy!!!

Kathy O’Hanlon, hammered dulcimer player, West Virginia

Lucille’s love for music is communicated with every fiber of her being…her instruments seem to become part of her body.

Dr. Evelyn Drake, friend and music aficionada, New Jersey

Magnificent, both in terms of musicianship and showmanship. Lucille has a special talent to raise people’s spirits and get them moving and smiling. How lucky the audience!

Jerry Wrzosek, hammered dulcimer player, Pennsylvania

Music drips from her fingers. Lucille Reilly is music.

Dr. John Williams, friend and music aficionado, Alabama

I will never forget the first time I heard Lucille play. It is right up there with the most outstanding performances I’ve ever heard (Victor Horowitz, Leon Fleisher, and James Galway, to name a few).

Each of the four times I have seen Lucille perform, she has consistently wowed the audience with her musicality, technical expertise, and lively and engaging personality, drawing the audience in and sharing with them her love of music, her enthusiasm for her instruments, and her joy of performance.

Dorothy Westgate, Montgomery Cultural Center, New Jersey

Her incredible music blew away the whole church! We never imagined the hammered dulcimer and autoharp could play so diversely and musically.

Washington Park UCC Church, Denver, CO

Lucille performs with a skill and grace not usually heard (or seen)…a committed performer/teacher who strives for excellence, bringing wit and personality to her performances…delightful to listen to and a pleasure to watch.

June Van Thoen, Director, Music at Morristown (NJ) United Methodist Church

In addition to being talented, Lucille is also personable…the whole audience was drawn in to her performance.